The Senegal National Team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, will debut its new PUMA Cellerator kit and training line in the upcoming friendly match against fellow PUMA team Cameroon, a.k.a the Indomitable Lions, to be played on neutral ground in France on February 9th.

Cellerator, PUMA’s established statement football playing kit and training line, represents the pinnacle performance solution within the brand’s football apparel product offering. All Cellerator apparel takes advantage of PUMA’s AMT (Advanced Movement Technology). This technology incorporates articulated cut lines to reduce friction, ensuring the player has a complete freedom of movement. In addition, the textile and material selection across the range has been tailored to players’ requirements – be it breathability, ventilation, moisture management and, naturally, comfort.

Senegal played its first international game in 1961 and have since successfully qualified for the African Cup of Nations Finals on nine occasions with their best finish in 2002, placing second. Later that year, the Lions of Teranga became the second African team to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals.

The Senegal National Team is currently en route for the 2006 FIFA World Cup facing Togo, Zambia, Congo, Liberia and Mali in Group 1 of the CAF continental qualifications. The teams’ next upcoming World Cup qualifier is a home game against Liberia on March 25th.

“The co-operation with the Angolan Football Federation is final confirmation of PUMA’s unparalleled involvement in African football,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman & CEO of PUMA A.G., and continued: “Needless to say, we are delighted to be the official supplier to all five African national teams for next year’s tournament in Germany, let alone the fact that we are the dominant kit supplier with a total of twelve teams come June next year.”

Angola will be endorsing PUMA’s new v1.06 statement product concept to be introduced in January, coinciding with the start of the 2006 CAF African Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Tournament debutants Angola successfully qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup having overcome Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Algeria and Rwanda in Group 4 of the CAF qualification group stages. Angola, nicknamed ‘Palancas Negras’ (Black Antelopes), recorded this historic milestone following a 1-0 away win in Rwanda on the last day of qualifying to oust Nigeria at the top of the table, thereby putting an end to 21 years of longing.

Michael Dawson, Michael Carrick and Jermaine Jenas
“PUMA is delighted to have reached an agreement with Tottenham,” said Andrew Peters, Managing Director, PUMA UK. “They are a big club in the most watched league in the world, and as such are of course a very attractive proposition for us. Tottenham Hotspur are a significant part of our global investment and we are proud to be working with them and that they have chosen to partner with us.”

The new kit design will be the first playing shirt to feature the new Tottenham Hotspurs crest. The club will endorse PUMA’s new v1.06 line which is designed to get the players to the ball faster. The state of the art v1.06 products are revolutionary lightweight, have aerodynamic advantages and offer comfort through advanced technology, material selection and construction. The form and function of the v1.06 combine to create a radically different and distinctive product concept.

“PUMA is a top-quality brand and we look forward to enjoying a terrific partnership,” commented Daniel Levy, Chairman, Tottenham Hotspur. “I know PUMA will deliver an exceptional range of clothing for our fans as well as designing a stylish new kit for the upcoming season.”

Tottenham, whose honours include three European Cup titles, two league championships and countless English cup victories are currently ranked fourth in the league.

“The announcement of the long-term partnership with the Cameroon Football Association underlines PUMA’s commitment to support African football. Africa will be the center of attention with the African Cup of Nations in 2008 leading up to the 2010 World Cup™ in South Africa”, says Jochen Zeitz, CEO of PUMA AG.

With an Olympic Gold from Sydney 2000, crowned African Champions four times (1984, 1988, 2000 and 2002) and the first ever African team to qualify for the World Cup™ quarterfinal in Italy in 1990, Cameroon is a powerhouse in African football as well as in the World of Football.

With an impressive portfolio of ten PUMA-sponsored African national teams, PUMA is already indisputably the most visible football brand in Africa.

The contract between the Egyptian Football Association and PUMA was signed in January 2006 and PUMA will support the team beyond the World Cup in South Africa until December 31, 2010.

As the official supplier to a dozen national teams across Africa, PUMA was worn by nine of the 16 teams in the tournament. PUMA gained brand visibility throughout 87.5% of the tournament, showing the strongest brand visibility on the pitch. That being, in 28 out of the 32 games, at least one PUMA team was present, equating to 42 hours of on-pitch action. In the semi-finals, all teams were supplied by PUMA – making PUMA the most prominent brand.

In the light of PUMA’s ongoing and long-term commitment for the African football, PUMA and the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football (FIF) also announced a multi-year extension of their successful partnership beyond the 2014 FIFA World Cup. “The Ivory Coast is one of Africa’s – and the world’s – most talented teams, as we’ve seen at the 2006 World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations the past two weeks,” said Zeitz. “PUMA is proud to work with the FIF and support Les Elephants for many years to come.”

Les Elephants, as the national team is called back home, have been one of Africa’s top teams for several decades, losing in the semi-finals in this year’s ACN against winner Egypt after having won the African Cup of Nations once (1992). In 2006, the team made its first-ever World Cup appearance. Aside from their exciting style of play, Les Elephants are also known for their colorful orange pop-colored uniforms. The extension was made official last week by PUMA Vice President Horst Widmann and FIF President Jacques Bernard Anouma at the Africa Cup of Nations.

“PUMA has built up a strong momentum in women’s soccer over the past 10 years collaborating closely with pioneering partners that have redefined the game on a global and local stage. Today, we are proud to be one of the founding partners of Women’s Professional Soccer in what promises to be a new pioneering chapter for women’s soccer,” said PUMA Chairman & CEO Jochen Zeitz. “The WPS partnership provides PUMA with a perfect platform to reinforce the brand’s positioning as the most desirable sportlifestyle brand in the world as well as underline our continued commitment to women’s sports.”

With the WPS partnership, PUMA further underlines its commitment to women’s soccer where it already has long-term partnerships with the likes of two-time FIFA™ World Player of the Year Marta da Silva of Brazil, who was drafted by the WPS Los Angeles Sol, U.S. National Team star Leslie Osborne, who will be playing for WPS in the Bay Area, and several Club teams in Europe including Swedish champion’s Umea IK, UEFA Women’s Cup Champions in 2003 and 2004.

“To have PUMA, the world’s leading sportlifestyle brand, as a founding partner in Women’s Professional Soccer is a great endorsement for our league,” said Commissioner Tonya Antonucci. “We are proud to have PUMA’s commitment to support, supply and grow the league and we recognize the creative, stylish and unique ways PUMA will promote WPS and women’s soccer on the whole.”

PUMA will have a presence in each market and stadiums for WPS games, as well as the WPS All-Star Game, WPS playoffs and WPS Championship game. PUMA and WPS have agreed to cross-promotional marketing opportunities via national print media, online media and television. This agreement also marks PUMA as an official licensee of the WPS for items including on field and sportlifestyle apparel, footwear and a wide variety of accessories.

PUMA is a leader in the game of soccer with a European portfolio of five National Teams, including current FIFA World Cup™ holders Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic. In addition to being the official supplier to these European teams, PUMA has a long standing relationship with 11 African soccer Federations including the current CAF African Cup of Nations™ holders, Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Angola, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Namibia. In the U.S., PUMA has worked with all-star Major League Soccer athletes such as Matt Reis, Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario.

Paul Gautier, PUMA Czech and Slovak Republic General Manager said; “We are excited to work with the Slovak Football Association. The Slovak Republic has a rich football history and we believe a strong future. We are confident that this new partnership with the Slovak Football Association will contribute to the continued positive development of the PUMA brand in Slovakia.

Slovak Football Association president Ján Kováčik added: “This partnership agreement with PUMA is very important to us. PUMA has such a strong global reputation and expertise in developing technical apparel and distributing licensed product, and we are very happy to confirm this partnership. ”

Alongside the partnership announcement, PUMA unveiled the new Slovak National Home and Away kits. These new kits are part of the PUMA Power12 collection which also includes the PowerCat 1.12 football boots. The kits are based around the Slovak National flag colours; the Home shirt is designed in white with blue details and the Away shirt is blue with white details. Both kits include the Slovak National Emblem on the left chest side and PUMA branding. The design of the kit reflects the dynamic and modern character of the Slovak National Team.

The Kit´s POWER technology was developed using 3D motion analysis, a scientific method for detection and quantification of human movement. Details of this analysis are incorporated into the design of the outfits and ensure that the player moves with minimum power and energy.

The press conference was held in the EXIsport store in Eurovea Galleria, Bratislava before the Slovak Footballer of the Year declaration. The new kits were presented by Slovak National Football team players – Kamil Kopúnek, Juraj Kucka and Michal Brezanik. The press conference was also attended by Ján Kováčik (Slovak Football Association president) and Paul Gautier (PUMA Czech and Slovak Republic General Manager).